Fourth Industrial revolution will leave Africa behind

Like most technological revolutions, Africa plays catch cup and its about to be do exactly that with the Fourth Industrial Revolution which is integrating the digital, physical, and biological worlds.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is described by Klaus Swaub, the founder of the World Economic Forum, as building on the Third Revolution, the digital revolution. This revolution is anything from artificial intelligence, machine intelligence and networked devices; with the use of information technology and electronics to automate production, manufacturing becoming digital, and gene editing. These will result in anything from self-driving cars to software that writes media articles and making investment decisions.

Do you that The Associated Press is using Artificial Intelligence software to write company results, and IBM announced that it had built a computer that can diagnose cancer more effectively than human doctors?

Swaub described the replacement of old materials with new ones, such as carbon fibre replacing steel and aluminium, and the application of 3D printing, to reproduce anything from tools to spare parts, or nanotechnology, which give products new features, such as bandages that help heal wounds.

Human identity itself may be changed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but Africa is not ready.

Technology Enables Women Disrupt the Norm

WOMEN on the continent are taking advantage of the advent of technology to create commercial and socio-economic changes in Africa; this was the prevalent theme at the second Leading Women Summit.

MTN Business together with Forbes Woman Africa held the event which coincided with International Women’s Day on Wednesday last week. The Summit, themed “Disrupting the Norm”, focused on the forces that are changing the world we live in. The event featured panel discussions about how these changes are impacting business and society, and what opportunities and challenges these would pose.

Bernice Samuels, Group Executive of Marketing at MTN, said such forums enabled valuable conversations for women to take place across the continent, as well as provide a platform for female leaders to share their experiences and insight as well as inspire others. Disrupting the norm in the modern world is being achieved through technology more often than not, and many of these leading women are using ICT to create the commercial and socio-economic changes Africa needs,” Samuels said.

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cyber security solutions, in collaboration with INTERPOL, released a research on cyber criminal activity in West Africa called “Cyber crime in West Africa: Poised for an Underground Economy,” as part of its ongoing Cyber criminal Underground Economy Series (CUES).

The research showed that scams targeting individuals and businesses have grown exponentially since 2013. It revealed that West African cyber criminal activities are driven by two types of threat actors: Yahoo Boys and Next-Level Cyber criminals.

Yahoo Boys, named for their reliance on Yahoo apps to communicate, became the primary type of cyber criminal in this region in the early 2000s. They focus on less technically advanced schemes, including advanced-fee, stranded traveler and romance scams under the supervision of a ringleader.

Next-Level Cyber criminals are able to execute more sophisticated attacks, such as Business Email Compromise (BEC) and tax scams. The more complex attacks take more time and investment, but the average BEC scam results in a payout of $140,000, making it worth the extra time and effort.

One constant finding throughout Trend Micro’s CUES research is that each underground marketplace culturally reflects the region in which it operates, and West Africa is no exception. Cyber criminals here openly communicate, even potentially meeting in person, sharing best practices and encouraging newcomers. This has developed a culture among threat actors that encourages scamming and supporting one another.

SureBuddy Insurance App

Sure Buddy an app that renders sponsored insurance and insurance related products was launched. It’s available on Android and lets consumers watch the ads then they receives free coverage as a reward. It’s Ad images are non-intrusive, use very little data, and disappear with a click.

SureBüddy’s cover is sponsored for the user as all costs are paid by the advertiser. The app then uses the advertising revenue to reward the user directly with cover, and in this instance, the consumer benefits from watching advertisements.

“Strive Masiywa once said something that became part of my belief system.” says Johan Basson, SureBüddy spokesperson, “He said that if you identify a human need and reach out to meet it you have the most sure-fire way to succeed in business.”

Google Ads Blocked on Some Ugandan Websites.

Ugandan online publishers under the umbrella body, “Online Media Publishers Association (OMPA)” resolved to block all ad placements from local advertisers on their websites through Google Ads.

The association said in a statement that the unanimous decision was reached in the interest of safeguarding members’ commercial interests in light of a growing trend by local companies to redirect digital advertising to ad serving operations, notably, Google AdWords. This has led to a loss of significant amounts of revenue for OMPA members, the Association said.

It also said that “It is our belief as an association that this will lead to a mutually beneficial relationship where indigenous websites are empowered to grow thanks to the advertising revenue from local partners while at the same time delivering an even greater value for local advertisers by reaching wider audiences,”

Advertisers such as Stanbic Bank, Vodafone Uganda, Ayo Uganda, Smile Communications, Kilimall, among others are to be affected by this blockage. Their adverts will be removed from 20 Ugandan websites, these including;

Uber Will Stop Using ‘Greyball’ Program to Block Government Officials

Uber Technologies Inc. decided to end the practice of showing fake versions of its app to government officials suspected of conducting sting operations on drivers.

The program, which is sometimes referred to as “Greyball,” blocks users who the company believes are in violation of its terms of service agreement. In the past, that has included government officials and enforcement authorities in cities who request rides with the intent of ticketing drivers or impounding cars in areas where Uber may not be authorized to operate. The system would cancel rides or display cars that weren’t actually nearby.

Uber is investigating the Greyball program, according to a statement by Joe Sullivan, the company’s chief security officer. Uber has said the system is used for a variety of purposes, including protecting drivers from violence.

“We are expressly prohibiting its use to target action by local regulators going forward,” Sullivan wrote in the statement. “Given the way our systems are configured, it will take some time to ensure this prohibition is fully enforced.”

Appliance Online Shop

While looking for what people are selling out of their house on Buy and Sell on Facebook, I saw a post about appliance being sold cheaply and I wondered how one can sell England made appliances at such cheap prices. Only to find out it was a an online shop, called Shop.Ug.

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is a Social Media, Content Creator and Marketer at Kahill Insights.
A Development Practitioner who has no self talent but is driven by curiosity and passion; in a nutshell she is a Multipotentialite. She believes in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit which makes her a Christian.